Friends, acquaintances, enemies, dearly beloved, we are all here today to witness and celebrate the graduation of Golf Middle School’s class of 2017. Like a wedding, we all came together in kindergarten, ready to start our newfound lives together. I’ve traveled with most of you since I was 6; some have come, some have gone. Sharing that time with you brings back fond and sorrowful memories. I’m very happy to have acquired the wonderful friends that are here with me today, without them I wouldn’t be standing before you delivering this speech.
Firstly, I want to thank all my teachers- Ms. Reinish, Ms. Heuberger, Mrs. Sadkin, Mr. Step, Mrs. Mylinski, Mrs. Yabut, Mrs, Grossman, Mrs. Nelson, Mrs. Steadman, Mr. Gilman, Mr. Carris, Mr. Carro, Mrs. Conejo, Mrs. Maldonado, Mrs. Joyner, and, even though your time with us was short-lived, Ms. Tziolas. Without you wonderful people none of us would be up here today. With the knowledge you gave us, you turned us from small little sprouts into big, blossoming trees. I can’t thank you enough for working with us since day one and never once giving up on us. From finger-paintings to quadratic equations, you’ve done it all.
Secondly, I want to rekindle a wistful memory at Golf since we are being torn away from it oh-so-soon. Golf is no ordinary middle school. We are unified and stick together. We all know what happened to me last year, but only few people have chosen to treat me unkindly. Almost everyone at Golf welcomed me back with open arms and smiling faces. I will never forget the day I came back. Acacia ran up to me and gave me the biggest hug I’ve ever received. Only Golf students share that kind of compassion with one another. Never will the smiles, hugs, and greetings from that day leave my mind. You’re all truly beautiful people.
As we create new footsteps for future students to follow in our old ones, I want to wish all of you a happy future. I hope every single one of you, even those who I don’t see eye-to-eye with, will do something great with their life. I can’t wait until we graduate high school, and then come back for a reunion. I want to know exactly what you all did with your lives. I’ll bet my finest piece of jewelry that you’re all going to go to the college of your dreams and do wonderful things. Every single person sitting in this room with me has a beautiful, strong mind. I don’t doubt your abilities- not in the slightest.
To future graduates, while Golf may not have the best sports record or an outstanding feature, Golf has you. Together, we make Golf Middle School the place everyone loves. We persevere, we shine. As long as you listen to your lovely teachers and study hard, there isn’t a single thing you can’t do. The secret to getting through Golf is to believe in yourself and your abilities. With a friend by your side, or maybe not, and a healthy, hopeful mindset, you’re going to do just fine. I believe in you, your teachers believe in you, and don’t forget to turn in that homework assignment before you forget to.
Finally, to wrap up my speech, I’m going to leave you with a Pitbull quote. While he may be known for his ever so vulgar language, while going through my spotify playlist, I heard these lyrics, “Every day above ground is a great day, remember that.” I don’t care how hard the challenge at your feet may be. You can do this, don’t give up, I believe in you. You may now kiss the class of 2017 goodbye.